Albany High School students shot on BART path recovering from wounds

EL CERRITO -- Two Albany High School students are expected to make a full recovery after being shot by two other teenagers near the El Cerrito Library, police said.

The shooting, which occurred on the Ohlone Greenway path adjacent to the BART tracks just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, seriously injured one of the students, who emerged from surgery Thursday. He was listed in stable condition at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, El Cerrito police Capt. Michael Regan said.

The second student was treated Wednesday for a flesh wound on his face, and released from a hospital, Regan said.

Both teenage boys were with a third friend, who escaped with no injuries. The two teenagers who fired the shots fled the scene without firing at the third teen, Regan said. They were wearing dark-hooded sweatshirts and escaped east on Stockton Avenue, police said.

What sparked the shooting remains unclear, Regan said, but the two groups of teenagers were involved in an argument before the guns were drawn, Regan said. The teens were walking on the greenway path between Stockton and Lincoln Avenues when the argument occurred, Regan said.

Albany Unified School District officials sent out text, email and voice mail alerts about the shooting to parents at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and also posted something on the district's website.

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"Our thoughts are with the families, as they recover from this tragic incident," district officials said in a statement. "Please remind your student to take all possible precautions when walking to school. The safety of our students is our top priority."

Regan said police are pursuing leads in the shooting and plan to interview the student who remains in the hospital. Anyone with information is asked to call El Cerrito police at 510-237-3233.

Rick Hurd covers crime. Contact him in Richmond at 510-262-2728 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rdERH.